What is Linux and why is it so popular?

Every desktop computer uses an operating system. The most popular operating systems in use today are:

* Windows
* Mac OS
* UNIX

Linux is a version of the UNIX operating system that has become very popular over the last several years.

Operating systems are computer programs. An operating system is the first piece of software that the computer executes when you turn the machine on. The operating system loads itself into memory and begins managing the resources available on the computer. It then provides those resources to other applications that the user wants to execute. Typical services that an operating system provides include:

* A task scheduler - The task scheduler is able to allocate the execution of the CPU to a number of different tasks. Some of those tasks are the different applications that the user is running, and some of them are operating system tasks. The task scheduler is the part of the operating system that lets you print a document from your word processor in one window while you are downloading a file in another window and recalculating a spreadsheet in a third window.
* A memory manager - The memory manager controls the system's RAM and normally creates a larger virtual memory space using a file on the hard disk. (See also this Question of the Day.)
* A disk manager - The disk manager creates and maintains the directories and files on the disk. When you request a file, the disk manager brings it in from the disk.
* A network manager - The network manager controls all data moving between the computer and the network.
* Other I/O services manager - The OS manages the keyboard, mouse, video display, printers, etc.
* Security manager - The OS maintains the security of the information in the computer's files and controls who can access the computer.

An operating system normally also provides the default user interface for the system. The standard "look" of Windows 98 includes the Start button, the task bar, etc. The Mac OS provides a completely different look and feel for Macintosh computers.

Linux is as much a phenomenon as it is an operating system. To understand why Linux has become so popular, it is helpful to know a little bit about its history. The first version of UNIX was originally developed several decades ago and was used primarily as a research operating system in universities. High-powered desktop workstations from companies like Sun proliferated in the 1980s, and they were all based on UNIX. A number of companies entered the workstation field to compete against Sun: HP, IBM, Silicon Graphics, Apollo, etc. Unfortunately, each one had its own version of UNIX and this made the sale of software difficult. Windows NT was Microsoft's answer to this marketplace. NT provides the same sort of features as UNIX operating systems -- security, support for multiple CPUs, large-scale memory and disk management, etc. -- but it does it in a way that is compatible with most Windows applications.

The entry of Microsoft into the high-end workstation arena created a strange dynamic. The proprietary operating systems owned by separate companies and the lack of a central authority in the UNIX world weaken UNIX, but many people have personal problems with Microsoft. Linux stepped into this odd landscape and captured a lot of attention.

The Linux kernel, created by Linus Torvalds, was made available to the world for free. Torvalds then invited others to add to the kernel provided that they keep their contributions free. Thousands of programmers began working to enhance Linux, and the operating system grew rapidly. Because it is free and runs on PC platforms, it gained a sizeable audience among hard-core developers very quickly. Linux has a dedicated following and appeals to several different kinds of people:

* People who already know UNIX and want to run it on PC-type hardware
* People who want to experiment with operating system principles
* People who need or want a great deal of control over their operating system
* People who have personal problems with Microsoft

In general, Linux is harder to manage than something like Windows, but offers more flexibility and configuration options.

An A-Z Index of the Windows NT/XP command line

An A-Z Index of the Windows NT/XP command line

ADDUSERS Add or list users to/from a CSV file
ARP Address Resolution Protocol
ASSOC Change file extension associations
ASSOCIAT One step file association
AT Schedule a command to run at a later time
ATTRIB Change file attributes

BOOTCFG Edit Windows boot settings
BROWSTAT Get domain, browser and PDC info

CACLS Change file permissions
CALL Call one batch program from another
CD Change Directory - move to a specific Folder
CHANGE Change Terminal Server Session properties
CHKDSK Check Disk - check and repair disk problems
CHKNTFS Check the NTFS file system
CHOICE Accept keyboard input to a batch file
CIPHER Encrypt or Decrypt files/folders
CleanMgr Automated cleanup of Temp files, recycle bin
CLEARMEM Clear memory leaks
CLIP Copy STDIN to the Windows clipboard.
CLS Clear the screen
CLUSTER Windows Clustering
CMD Start a new CMD shell
COLOR Change colors of the CMD window
COMP Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
COMPACT Compress files or folders on an NTFS partition
COMPRESS Compress individual files on an NTFS partition
CON2PRT Connect or disconnect a Printer
CONVERT Convert a FAT drive to NTFS.
COPY Copy one or more files to another location
CSVDE Import or Export Active Directory data

DATE Display or set the date
Dcomcnfg DCOM Configuration Utility
DEFRAG Defragment hard drive
DEL Delete one or more files
DELPROF Delete NT user profiles
DELTREE Delete a folder and all subfolders
DevCon Device Manager Command Line Utility
DIR Display a list of files and folders
DIRUSE Display disk usage
DISKCOMP Compare the contents of two floppy disks
DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one floppy disk to another
DNSSTAT DNS Statistics
DOSKEY Edit command line, recall commands, and create macros
DSADD Add user (computer, group..) to active directory
DSQUERY List items in active directory
DSMOD Modify user (computer, group..) in active directory

ECHO Display message on screen
ENDLOCAL End localisation of environment changes in a batch file
ERASE Delete one or more files
EXIT Quit the CMD shell
EXPAND Uncompress files
EXTRACT Uncompress CAB files

FC Compare two files
FDISK Disk Format and partition
FIND Search for a text string in a file
FINDSTR Search for strings in files
FOR /F Loop command: against a set of files
FOR /F Loop command: against the results of another command
FOR Loop command: all options Files, Directory, List
FORFILES Batch process multiple files
FORMAT Format a disk
FREEDISK Check free disk space (in bytes)
FSUTIL File and Volume utilities
FTP File Transfer Protocol
FTYPE Display or modify file types used in file extension associations

GLOBAL Display membership of global groups
GOTO Direct a batch program to jump to a labelled line

HELP Online Help
HFNETCHK Network Security Hotfix Checker

IF Conditionally perform a command
IFMEMBER Is the current user in an NT Workgroup
IPCONFIG Configure IP

KILL Remove a program from memory

LABEL Edit a disk label
LOCAL Display membership of local groups
LOGEVENT Write text to the NT event viewer.
LOGOFF Log a user off
LOGTIME Log the date and time in a file

MAPISEND Send email from the command line
MEM Display memory usage
MD Create new folders
MODE Configure a system device
MORE Display output, one screen at a time
MOUNTVOL Manage a volume mount point
MOVE Move files from one folder to another
MOVEUSER Move a user from one domain to another
MSG Send a message
MSIEXEC Microsoft Windows Installer
MSINFO Windows NT diagnostics
MSTSC Terminal Server Connection (Remote Desktop Protocol)
MUNGE Find and Replace text within file(s)
MV Copy in-use files

NET Manage network resources
NETDOM Domain Manager
NETSH Configure network protocols
NETSVC Command-line Service Controller
NBTSTAT Display networking statistics (NetBIOS over TCP/IP)
NETSTAT Display networking statistics (TCP/IP)
NOW Display the current Date and Time
NSLOOKUP Name server lookup
NTBACKUP Backup folders to tape
NTRIGHTS Edit user account rights

PATH Display or set a search path for executable files
PATHPING Trace route plus network latency and packet loss
PAUSE Suspend processing of a batch file and display a message
PERMS Show permissions for a user
PERFMON Performance Monitor
PING Test a network connection
POPD Restore the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD
PORTQRY Display the status of ports and services
PRINT Print a text file
PRNCNFG Display, configure or rename a printer
PRNMNGR Add, delete, list printers set the default printer
PROMPT Change the command prompt
PsExec Execute process remotely
PsFile Show files opened remotely
PsGetSid Display the SID of a computer or a user
PsInfo List information about a system
PsKill Kill processes by name or process ID
PsList List detailed information about processes
PsLoggedOn Who's logged on (locally or via resource sharing)
PsLogList Event log records
PsPasswd Change account password
PsService View and control services
PsShutdown Shutdown or reboot a computer
PsSuspend Suspend processes
PUSHD Save and then change the current directory

QGREP Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern.

RASDIAL Manage RAS connections
RASPHONE Manage RAS connections
RECOVER Recover a damaged file from a defective disk.
REG Read, Set or Delete registry keys and values
REGEDIT Import or export registry settings
REGSVR32 Register or unregister a DLL
REGINI Change Registry Permissions
REM Record comments (remarks) in a batch file
REN Rename a file or files.
REPLACE Replace or update one file with another
RD Delete folder(s)
RDISK Create a Recovery Disk
RMTSHARE Share a folder or a printer
ROBOCOPY Robust File and Folder Copy
ROUTE Manipulate network routing tables
RUNAS Execute a program under a different user account
RUNDLL32 Run a DLL command (add/remove print connections)

SC Service Control
SCHTASKS Create or Edit Scheduled Tasks
SCLIST Display NT Services
ScriptIt Control GUI applications
SET Display, set, or remove environment variables
SETLOCAL Control the visibility of environment variables
SETX Set environment variables permanently
SHARE List or edit a file share or print share
SHIFT Shift the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file
SHORTCUT Create a windows shortcut (.LNK file)
SHOWGRPS List the NT Workgroups a user has joined
SHOWMBRS List the Users who are members of a Workgroup
SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer
SLEEP Wait for x seconds
SOON Schedule a command to run in the near future
SORT Sort input
START Start a separate window to run a specified program or command
SU Switch User
SUBINACL Edit file and folder Permissions, Ownership and Domain
SUBST Associate a path with a drive letter
SYSTEMINFO List system configuration

TASKLIST List running applications and services
TIME Display or set the system time
TIMEOUT Delay processing of a batch file
TITLE Set the window title for a CMD.EXE session
TOUCH Change file timestamps
TRACERT Trace route to a remote host
TREE Graphical display of folder structure
TYPE Display the contents of a text file

USRSTAT List domain usernames and last login

VER Display version information
VERIFY Verify that files have been saved
VOL Display a disk label

WHERE Locate and display files in a directory tree
WHOAMI Output the current UserName and domain
WINDIFF Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
WINMSD Windows system diagnostics
WINMSDP Windows system diagnostics II
WMIC WMI Commands

XCACLS Change file permissions
XCOPY Copy files and folders
http://www.ss64.com/nt/

Hacking Windows XP Book

BUY Hacking Windows XP Book

Hacking Windows XP is the ultimate tweakers handbook, concentrating on customizing the look, increasing the performance and securing Windows XP. Hacking Windows XP is not like other hacking books, if you want random tips and tricks, buy another book. But if you want one of the most complete tweaking books ever written, Hacking Windows XP is for you. Take a look at the table of contents to learn how the book is organized and the extensive list of topics covered.

Written by the creator of TweakXP.com and packed with a companion CD-ROM filled with registry files, applications mentioned in the book and bonus hacking utilities, Hacking Windows XP is the book for any beginner or advanced user that wants to get more out of Windows XP.


Source : http://www.hackingwindowsxp.com/

Rubber Stamp

In This Tutorial we will create a rubber stamp with photoshop cs2.
ok, we start now.

1.Let's we create new project File-->New


2. type a text, in this example we type CompStations.

3. Next Duplicate the layer Compstations, then rotare 180 degree
Edit->Transform->Rotate 180. Move the second layer so you have a decent circle Like this:

4. and type StOrE, like this

5. To add the broken "chop" effect, Create a new layer (make sure it's the top layer), and add some clouds by selecting Filter->Render->Clouds. Then add some noise by selecting Filter->Noise->Add Noise.

6. Then select the new noise layer, and change the blending mode to "screen". This will give our passport chop some texture.

IP Addressing And SubNetting

IP Addressing And SubNetting
By Dr.T of BCVG Dr.T,
www.ebcvg.com
raven@ebcvg.com

Another article explaining basics of IP addressing and building subnets.


Basic Definitions
=====================

Here are some basic definitions I think that one should know in order to understand this article:

IP Address - A unique number ID assigned to one host or an interface on a network.

Subnet - A portion of a network sharing a particular address.

Subnet Mask - A 32 bit combination used to describe which portion of an address refers to the subnet and which part refers to the host.

Interface - A network connection.

InterNIC - Internet Network Information Center

NIC - Network Interface Card.

Ethernet - An Ethernet is the IEEE 802.3 Standard that allows two or more computers transfer data back and forth. The access method used, is based on Ethernet systems, which range from 1Mbps - 1000Mbps (1GBps).


Internet Protocol (IP)
=========================

The Internet Protocol, IP, is a network protocol that contains addressing information and control information that enables packets to be routed. The IP protocol is the primary protocol along with the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) in the Internet Protocol Suite (IPS). IP actually work like a router and it is the heart of the IPS while the TCP protocol responsible that divide and reassembly packets and to assure that everything come to its destination and if not to resend it again.


IP Addressing
======================

An IP Address is actually a 32-bit (4 bytes) number, which provides you information on how to access the system and how to communicate with it through specific protocols - set of commands which computers use when they communicate (transfer data, files etc.).

The IP address is divided into 4 octets which each one takes 8bits = 1byte.
In order to represent the IP address of a system, we usually use the following structure: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx where each 'xxx' is on octet. This way of representation called the dotted decimal notation. Each octet can contain a value range from 0 - 255 in decimal or from 00000000 - 11111111 in binary form. The reason the value can range from 0 to 255 is because each octet is one byte and the range of the values can range from 0 to 255 only.

Here is how binary octets convert to decimal (basic knowledge in binary is required):


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - Binary octet

128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 - Decimal octet


To find the value in this octet we need to sum all the number we got: 128+64+32+16+
8+4+2+1 = 255. Here is another sample of octet conversion:


0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 - Binary octet

0 64 0 0 0 0 0 1 - Decimal octet


The result is 64+1 = 65.

To make the work with IP Addresses easier, they have been divided into five classes, each one of which has its own properties and intended use. Nowadays only the first three IP Address Classes are used (A, B and C) while the remaining two (D and E) serve for experimental and for research purposes only. Here are the IP Address Classes:


Class Name Network & Host IP Address Range Example
===============================================================

Class A: N.H.H.H 1.0.0.0 - 126.255.255.254 24.215.1.50

Class B: N.N.H.H 128.1.0.0 - 191.254.0.0 187.45.44.12

Class C: N.N.N.H 192.0.1.0 - 223.255.254.0 200.20.21.20

Class D: Not Available 224.0.0.0 - 239.255.255.255 225.45.33.33

Class E: Not Available 240.0.0.0 - 254.255.255.255 243.55.190.22

The “N” and “H” in the above table designate the Network ID and Host ID respectively.
Each host on the TCP/IP network is assigned a 32 bit number - IP Address – which consists of two parts (sections): the Network ID (network class) and the Host ID (host number). The Network ID identifies the network and must be assigned by the InterNIC, if the network is part of the Internet. The Host ID identifies a host on a network and is assigned by the local network administrator.

The first class is Class A. This class usually used by very large organizations (military, big universities etc.) that have many computers in their network. Their Network ID is only 8 bits (1 byte) long, which leaves 24 bits (3 bytes) for the Host ID. This means that such a network can hold up to (2^24 - 2) hosts.
Class B usually serves smaller universities, big companies, ISPs etc. The Network ID is 16 bits (2 bytes) long, which leaves 16 bits (2 bytes) for the Host ID. Such a network can hold up to 65,534 (2^16 - 2) hosts.
Class C is intended for small organizations and home users. The Network ID is 24 bits (3 bytes) long, which leaves 16 bits (2 bytes) for the Host ID. Such a network can hold only 254 (2^8 - 2) computers.

The class of any given IP address can be determined easily by the value of its first octet. For example, if we have the IP address 145.44.5.34, the value in the first octet is 145 and since this value falls in the range between 128 and 191, this IP Address belongs to Class B. If we have the IP Address 12.34.212.4 then the value in the first octet is 12, which belongs to Class A because it falls between 1 and 126.

Now that we understand the structure of IP addresses it is the time for explanation about special values that might present in some of its octets.
The first such value is 0 - it is reserved for systems that "do not know" their address. It is possible for a system to not know its network class or even host; a system with IP 0.0.0.90 “knows” that its host number is 90, but it “does not know” on what network.

The second reserved value is 255. It is used for broadcasting – sending a message to everyone on the network. For example, if you “sit” on 154.9.5 network and want to send a message to everybody on that network you should send it to 154.9.5.255. Notice that on some older system, the value 0 is used as the broadcast value.

The last reserved value is 127. This value does not belong to any class and it is used for special purposes only. A very common example is 127.0.0.1, which is the IP address assigned to every system, which is not connected to the Internet. If you have a web server installed on your system and you type 127.0.0.1 at the address bar you will arrive to the home page.

Sub-netting
========

Most of the people who work with networks see Sub-netting or IP Sub-netting as one of the most difficult to understand. Nevertheless, I will try to explain it in plain words and simple examples.

Basically sub-netting is dividing IP networks into smaller networks called sub-networks or subnets. Sub-netting is very important and useful feature, which provides the network administrator with several benefits: extra flexibility, more efficient use of network addresses and the capability to maintain broadcast traffic.
Subnets are under local administration and they reflect the organization’s internal structure. As such, the outside world sees the organization as a one single network and has no knowledge about the details of its internal structure.

The first step in learning sub-netting is to understand what is IP Subnet Mask or Subnet Mask (notice that this is not the same as Subnet!). Subnet address is created by "borrowing" bits from the Host ID section and designating them as a subnet section (notice that your can "borrow” only from the Host ID section and not from the Network ID section!!).
The subnet mask specifies the number of the “borrowed” bits. We represent the subnet mask the same way we represent the IP address octets, but the values can only be 0, 128, 192, 224, 240, 248, 252, 254, and 255 as the borrowed bits are the higher ones and have to be sequential. The subnet mask is built according to the number of the "borrowed" bits from the Host ID – see the following table:

128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 128
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 192
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 = 224
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 = 240
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 = 248
1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 = 252
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 = 254
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 = 255

In the above table you can see the number of the "borrowed" bits and the relative value that should appear in the subnet mask. Lets take an example and analyze it. If we take the IP address 148.44.34.90, according to first octet we find that it belongs to Class B so we have two Network ID octets:

[ 148 ] . [ 44 ] . [ 34 ] . [ 90 ] - IP address
[ N ] . [ N ] . [ H ] . [ H ] - Network ID and Host ID

If we want to create a sub-network from this network and we want to "borrow" 8 bits from the third octet we'll get the following subnet mask:


[ N ] . [ N ] . [ H ] . [ H ] - Network ID and Host ID

[ N ] . [ N ] . [ SN ] . [ N ] - Network ID, Host ID and Sub-network

[ 255 ] . [ 255 ] . [ 255 ] . [ 0 ] - subnet mask

As you can see, when you build a subnet mask the Network ID octets become automatically 255 and according to the "borrowed" bits we can find our what value should the other octet(s) contain(s). If we don't want to create any sub-network from a given IP address we'll have the following defaults subnet masks:

Class A - 255.0.0.0
Class B - 255.255.0.0
Class C - 255.255.255.0

After I have explained what is Sub-netting and how to find out subnet masks it's time to explain how to calculate the number of subnets and hosts for each network. Each network can contain limited amount of subnets and hosts per subnet. In order to know these numbers we must know the subnet mask of the given network because the number of subnets and the number of hosts per subnet is a function of the "borrowed" bits.

The best way to explain this is giving an example.
Assume we have the IP Address 148.44.34.90, which (see above) belongs to Class B and we have 16-bit Network ID and 16-bit Host ID. As I wrote above we can use only the Host ID section for creating sub-networks. In our case the maximum number of bits, which we can “borrow”, is 16. Now, lets say we want to create a sub-network of 7 "borrowed" bits so, our subnet mask is 255.255.254.0 and the number of subnets which we can create with this subnet mask is 2^7 - 2 (we must subtract two because one place is reserved for broadcast and another one - for network address) = 126 possible sub-networks. Now, the number of hosts per each subnet is 2^9 - 2 = 510 hosts.

Now after I have gave a little example I'll sum the above paragraph to general "equations":

Number of subnets = 2^[Number of borrowed bits] - 2
Number of hosts per subnet = 2^[HostID bits - Number of borrowed bits] - 2

In order to determine the sub-network address of a specific IP address, we need to do a set process. For that we use the logical operator AND. Here is the table of the AND logical operator:

0 AND 0 = 0
0 AND 1 = 0
1 AND 0 = 0
1 AND 1 = 1

Again, the best way to explain this is showing an example. Assume we have the IP address 190.33.10.12 with the subnet mask 255.255.255.0. The first step to find what is the subnet mask is transferring the Host ID bits of the IP address and the "borrowed" bits of the subnet mask:

IP Address 190.33.10.12 10.12 (Class B, first two octets are fixed)
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0 255.0 (only the "borrowed" bits)

10.12 00001010 00000000
255.0 11111111 00000000

After we have transferred them into binary form all we have to do now is to make a simple AND operation. As a result of this AND operation we will get the subnet address:

00001010 00000000
AND
11111111 00000000
--------------------
00001010 00000000 = 10.0

As you can see from the above AND operation, we have got the network address of the IP address 190.33.10.12. Now, we know that IP address 190.33.10.12 belongs to network address 190.33.10.0, and the valid addresses ranging from 190.33.10.1 - 190.33.10.254. 190.33.10.255 is used for broadcast.

Final Words
================

I hope that I made this tutorial is simple and clear enogh. Should you have any questions, comments, suggestions do not hesitate to contact me via email.
This tutorial utilizes few articles of Cisco (R).

Windows XP Tips

Faster DOS Printing

Submitted 6/21/03

If you are experiencing slow printing for DOS programs with Windows2000

1. Go Start | Run | Regedit
2. Click Hkey_Local_Machine
3. Click on System
4. Click CurrentControlSet
5. Click Control
6. Go to the bottom of this part of the list and click WOW
7. Click LPT timeout and change it to a 3

Submitted by Steve Cohen
Cleaning the Prefetch Directory

Added 3/2/03

WindowsXP has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used programs.
However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.

To clean this periodically go to:

1. Star / Run / Prefetch
2. Press Ctrl-A to highlight all the files
3. Delete them

Not Displaying Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown Status Messages

Added 3/2/30

To turn these off:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
3. If it is not already there, create a DWORD value named DisableStatusMessages
4. Give it a value of 1

Download a reg file
Accessing Non-Listed Display Configurations

Added 3/2/03

If you want to access display configurations not normally listed (e.g. 256 colors)

1. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.
2. Click the Advanced button.
3. Click the Adapter tab,
4. Click the List all modes button.
5. Select the resolution, color depth, and refresh rate that you want and click OK.

Repair Install

Added 2/9/03

If XP is corrupted to the point where none of the previous solutions get it to boot,
you can do a Repair Install that might work as well as keep the current settings.
Make sure you have your valid WindowsXP key.
The whole process takes about half an hour depending on your computer
If you are being prompted for the administrator's password, you need to choose the 2nd repair option, not the first.

1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD
2. At the second R=Repair option, press the R key
3. This will start the repair
4. Press F8 for I Agree at the Licensing Agreement
5. Press R when the directory where WindowsXP is installed is shown. Typically this is C:\WINDOWS
6. It will then check the C: drive and start copying files
7. It will automatically reboot when needed. Keep the CD in the drive.
8. You will then see the graphic part of the repair that is like during a normal install of XP (Collecting Information, Dynamic Update, Preparing Installation, Installing Windows, Finalizing Installation)
9. When prompted, click on the Next button
10. When prompted, enter your XP key
11. Normally you will want to keep the same Workgroup or Domain name
12. The computer will reboot
13. Then you will have the same screens as a normal XP Install
14. Activate if you want (usually a good idea)
15. Register if you want (but not necessary)
16. Finish
17. At this point you should be able to log in with any existing accounts.

NTOSKRNL Missing or Corrupt

Added 2/9/03

If you get an error that NTOSKRNL not found:

1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
3. Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
4. Change to the drive that has the CD ROM.
5. CD i386
6. expand ntkrnlmp.ex_ C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
7. If WindowsXP is installed in a different location, just make the necessary change to C:\Windows
8. Take out the CD ROM and type exit

HAL.DLL Missing or Corrupt

Added 2/9/03

If you get an error regarding a missing or corrupt hal.dll file, it might simply be the BOOT.INI file on the root of the C: drive that is misconfigured

1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
3. Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
4. Type bootcfg /list to show the current entries in the BOOT.INI file
5. Type bootcfg /rebuild to repair it
6. Take out the CD ROM and type exit

Corrupted or Missing \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG

Added 2/9/03

If you get the error:
Windows could not start because the following files is missing or corrupt
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM or \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
3. Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
4. Enter in the administrator password when requested
5. cd \windows\system32\config
6. Depending on which section was corrupted:
ren software software.bad or ren system system.bad
7. Depending on which section was corrupted
copy \windows\repair\system
copy \windows\repair\software
8. Take out the CD ROM and type exit

NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM Not Found

Added 2/9/03

If you get an error that NTLDR is not found during bootup,

If you have FAT32 partitions, it is much simpler than with NTFS.
Just boot with a Win98 floppy and copy the NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM files
from the i386 directory to the root of the C:\ drive.

For NTFS:

1. Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
3. Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
4. Enter in the administrator password when requested
5. Enter in the following commands (X: is replaced by the actual drive letter that is assigned to the CD ROM drive.
COPY X:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY X:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\
6. Take out the CD ROM and type exit

Bringing Up the Shutdown Dialog Box

Added 1/31/03

1. Create a new txt file somewhere on your system, open it and put in this one line:
(new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application")).ShutdownWindows();
2. Save and Close the file. Change the extension to js and your got it.
3. You can make a shortcut to that file to make it easy to shut down your system.

Submitted by DJ Speed Racer
Adding TCP/IP Printers

Added 1/7/02

To create a connection to a printer connected to your network:

1. Start to add a new printer through the control panel.
2. Select Local Printer / Next
3. Instead of a LPT port, check Create a new port at the bottom on the window
4. Scroll to Standard TCP/IP Port
5. Keep going and enter the IP address of the printer.

Increasing the Folder Cache

Added 1/6/02

The default setting for WindowsXP is to cache the Explorer settings for 400 folders.
To increase it:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam
3. Change the vaule of BagMRU to whatever size you want (hex)

1000 - 3e8
2000 - 7d0
3000 - bb8
4000 - fa0
5000 - 1388

You can Dowload a reg file that will set it for 5000
Hiding the Last User Logged On

Added 1/4/03

If you use the standard NT style of login and want to hide the last user:

1. Start the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options
3. Scroll down to Interactive logon: Do not display last user name
4. Set it to Enable

Poweroff at Shutdown

1/4/03

If your computer does not turn off the power when doing a shutdown,
you may need to edit the registry. I have all the correct BIOS and Power settings and still needed to do this.

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
3. Edit the key PowerOffActive and give it a value of 1
4. You can do the same in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

Download reg file
Remembering Folder Settings

Added 12/21/02

If XP does not remember your folder settings, delete or rename the following registry keys

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]

Download reg file
Stop Password Expiration

Updated 12/21/02

If you want to do this for all users, enter:

Start / Run / net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited

Added 3/18/02

If you are getting an error message that your password is about to expire:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon
2. Select Manage
3. Go to Local Users and Groups / Users
4. Right-click on the user you want to change
5. Select Properties
6. On the General tab, check Password never expires
7. Click OK

Installing Java Virtual Machine

Updated 12/21/02

If you are getting errors when browsing the web to install Java Virtual Machine,

You can still download it from Microsoft (version 3810)
If this link is removed by MS or is too slow you can download it here

If you need a previous version, you can download 3805

It is now included in Service Pack1

You can also download Sun's version
Preventing Applications from Stealing the Focus

Added 12/14/02

To prevent applications from stealing the focus from the window you are working

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
3.

Edit the key ForegroundLockTimeout
4.

Give it a value of 00030d40

Download reg file
Disable Explorer Thumbnail View

Added 12/4/02

If you want disable the Explorer's ability to show the Thumbnail View ,

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced \
3.

Change ClassicViewState to 1

Download reg file
Adding Environment Variables

Added 12/04/02

Since any version of NT does not use an autoexec.bat file,
to add environment variables to WindowsXP:

1.

Right click on My Computer
2.

Select Properties
3.

Click on the Advanced tab
4.

Click on the Environment Variables button
5.

From here you can change it for the system or just the current user.

Disable Passport Pop-Up

Added 11/26/02

Normally, WindowsXP will prompt you 10 times that You Need a Passport to use WindowsXP Internet communication features...

To disable this

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ MessengerService
3.

Edit the binary key PassportBalloon
4.

Give it a value of 0A (0A 00 00 00)


Show Hidden Devices

Submitted 11/26/02

You can show hidden devices in the Device Manager. One way is by making a simple registry change. The other is through a batch file.

Registry Change:

1.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ ControlSet001 \ Control \ Session Manager \ Environment
2.

Create a string DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES
3.

Give it a value of 1

Download reg file

Batch File

@Echo Off
Prompt $p$g
set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1
start devmgmt.msc
exit

Submitted by Michael Kinsel
Spell Check Not Working With Outlook Express and Office97

Added 11/23/02

This is simply due to a missing or corrupted DLL file

1. Go to the i386 directory of your XP source files
2. Run Expand csapi3t1.dl_ csapi3t1.dll (Note: If your source files are on a CD, you will need to put a path before the csapi3t1.dll since you can't write to the CD).
3. Copy the file to the Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Proof directory
4. You can also download the file from my site.

Disable Shared Documents

Added 11/23/02

To disable the Shared Documents folder that shows up on the network

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer \
3.

Create a new DWORD Value
4.

Give it the name NoSharedDocuments
5.

Give it a value of 1
6.

Log off or reboot

Disable the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon's menu

Submitted 11/23/02

To Disable the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon's menu:

1. Start regedit.exe
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Conferencing\Mcpt
3. Create a new string value (Click on Edit > New > String Value).
4. Name the value Nx
5. Double-click on it and set it's value to 1
6. Close the registry

Now the menu options will be grayed out.

Submitted by Justin Herron
Prevent the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon from appearing in the notification tray

Submitted 11/23/02

To Prevent the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon from appearing in the notification tray:

1. Click Start, then Run.
2. Type services.msc and then click ok.
3. Scroll down until you find the NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing service
4. Double-click on it.
5. Click on the Log On tab.
6. Uncheck Allow service to interact with desktop
7. Click OK then close the services window.
8. Reboot (You must reboot).

There you go. When you return, RDS will work, but there will be no icon in the notification area.

Submitted by Justin Herron
Printing a Directory

Added 11/12/02

WindowsXP does not allow you to use previously describe methods for printing the contents of a directory.
To do this requires the creation of a small batch file which is then added to your right-click options.

Batch File

On the root of the C: drive, create a batch file called print_directory.bat with the following lines:

@echo off
dir %1 /o:g > c:\directory.txt
start /w notepad /p c:\directory.txt
del c:\directory.txt
exit

Note: dir %1 /o:g will print with any directories listed first. You can add whatever other switches you like

Adding to the Explorer Right Click

1.

Start the Explorer
2.

Go to Tools / Folder Options
3.

On the File Types tab, click File Folder.
4.

Click Advanced button and then click New.
5.

In the Action box, type Print Directory (or whatever text you want to appear).
6.

In the Application used to perform action box, type C:\print_directory.bat, and then click OK.
7.

Click OK, click OK, and then click Close

Fixing the Registry

Sometimes after adding the right click with the Explorer, the default setting for opening a folder is changed.
To correct this:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Directory \ shell
3. Edit the default value to be explorer or none

Download reg file
Removing Thumbs.db Files

Added 11/12/02

When viewing a folder with the Thumbnail view, WindowsXP creates a thumbs.db file.
This is a cache of the current pictures in that directory.
If you want to turn this feature off and save a little disk space

1.

Start the Windows Explorer
2.

Go to Tools / Folder Options / View
3.

In the first section under Files and Folders, check Do not cache thumbnails
4.

Now you can search for the thumbs.db file on your computer and remove them. No more should be created.

Enable / Disable the Task Manager

Added 10/17/02

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3.

Create the Dword value DisableTaskMgr
4.

Give it a value of 0 to enable it
5.

Give it a vaule of 1 to disable it

Download Reg File
Saving Desktop Settings

Added 9/11/02

If you desktop or folders on your desktop do not retain their settings:

Start Regedit

1.

Go go HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Program Manager\Restrictions
2.

Create or edit the DWORD value NoSaveSettings
3.

Give it a value of 0

Download reg file
Hiding the Windows Version on the Desktop

Added 9/10/02

If your version of WindowsXP is displaying on the desktop and
you would like to remove it:

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
3.

Edit or Create the DWORD entry PaintDesktopVersion
4.

A value of 0 will hide the version from the desktop
5.

Logoff or reboot

Download reg file

To make this change for all future users, edit
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop in the same manner.
Using Media Player 6.4

Added 9/10/02

If you want to use the older version of Microsoft Media Player 6.4, it is still on your computer.

Make a shortcut on your desktop to the:
C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\mplayer2.exe file

You can also change the file associations from this program to set it as the default for all media types.
Controlling the Desktop Cleanup Wizard

Added 7/24/02

By default, the Desktop Cleanup Wizard will pop up every 60 days to cleanup your desktop.

To stop this:

1. Right click on the desktop.
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Desktop tab
4. Click on the Customize Desktop button
5. Uncheck Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard

Clearing the Page File on Shutdown

Updated 7/24/02

Another way to set the computer to clear the pagefile without directly editing the registry is:

1. Click on the Start button
2. Go to the Control Panel
3. Administrative Tools
4. Local Security Policy
5. Local Policies
6. Click on Security Options
7. Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
8. Select "Enable"
9. Reboot

Submitted by Arthur Pounder

Added 8/16/01

If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown
3. Set the value to 1

Download reg file
Restoring Access to CD ROMs

Added 5/22/02

If after you remove CD Burning software, you can no longer access your CD ROM's,
the following registry keys need to be deleted:

Locate and delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Download Reg File
ReInstalling WindowsXP

Added 5/21/02

If you need to reinstall WindowsXP and want to keep all your current installed applications and settings:

1.

Start WindowsXP
2.

Go to the location of your source files
3.

Run WINNT32 /unattend

I've often need to do this to repair something that had gotten corrupted and didn't want to do a clean install.
Setting the Dir Command to Display Filenames on the Left

Added 5/10/02

Previous versions of Windows displayed the filenames on the left hand side when you run the dir command.
WindowsXP changes this and the default it to put it on the right.

To change this back:

1.

Right click on My Computer
2.

Click on Properties
3.

Click on the Advanced tab
4.

Click on the Environment Variables button
5.

Click on New button
6.

Enter the Variable name: dircmd
7.

Enter the Variable value: /-n

Dell Computer Not Keeping Correct Time

Added 5/5/02

If your Dell computer is loosing time while the computer is turned on,
You can run the following commands:

1. Start / Run / CMD
2. Net stop w32time
3. w32tm /unregister
4. w32tm /unregister
5. w32tm /register
6. Net start w32time

You can also download a Dell Patch to do the same process automatically
Fix Browsing Delay to Win98/ME Computers

Added 5/18/01

If you experience a 30 second or so delay when browsing to Windows98 or WindowsME computers,
delete the following registry key on the Windows2000 or WindowsXP computer.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer / RemoteComputer / NameSpace {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

Download reg file
Formatting a Partition Greater than 32 GIGs with FAT32

Added 4/27/02

WindowsXP will only format a partition greater than 32 GIGs as NTFS.
If you want to format it with FAT32:

1.

You can use a regular Win98 Boot disk and use that version of FDISK to create the partition (with Large Hard Drive Support)
2.

Reboot with the same boot disk and format
3.

WindowsXP will then be able to use the partition with no problems

Adding SafeBoot to the Boot Menu

Added 4/23/02

You can add Safeboot as an option to the normal XP boot screen

1. Open a command prompt
2. Copy the current c:\boot.ini to another name (just in case)
3. With your favorite text editor, edit c:\boot.ini
4. Copy then edit the current boot line to another line. For example:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
might copy and then change to:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safeboot" /fastdetect
5. Start MSCONFIG
6. Click on the BOOT.INI tab
7. Highlight the second line with the additional name of Safeboot
8. Check the /SAFEBOOT box with option you want
Minimal - Minimal set of drivers
Network - With Network Support
Dsrepair - Directory Services Repair
Minimal (Alternate Shell) - Standard Explorer Desktop
9. You will now have this option every time you start XP

No GUI Boot

Added 4/23/02

If you don't need to see the XP boot logo,

1. Run MSCONFIG
2. Click on the BOOT.INI tab
3. Check the box for /NOGUIBOOT

Speeding the Startup of Some CD Burner Programs

Added 4/23/02

If you use program other than the native WindowsXP CD Burner software,
you might be able to increase the speed that it loads.

1. Go to Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Services
2. Double-click on IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
3. For the Startup Type, select Disabled
4. Click on the OK button and then close the Services window
5. If you dontYou should notice

Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages

Updated 4/20/02

To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:

1. Start Regedit
2. For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
3. For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
4. Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays
5. Give it a value of 0

Download reg file
Using the Internet Explorer Classic Search

Added 4/20/02

If you want to use the classic search engine in the Internet Explorer

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. If it is not there, create a String Value of Use Search Asst
4. Give it a value of no

Download reg file
Logging in as Administrator

Added 4/11/02

If you want to log in as Administrator, but it is not show on the Welcome screen,

1. Hold the Ctrl-Alt key and press Del twice.
2. This will bring up the normal login and you can log on as Administrator

To unhide the Administrator account so it does show up:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
3. Unhide the Administrator key by giving it a value of 1

Download reg file
Correcting Fast User Switching Error

Added 4/11/02

If you are getting an error that:
A recently installed program has disabled the Welcome screen and Fast User Switching
with a reference to CSGina.DLL

1. Start Regedit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Delete the key GinaDLL

Download reg file
Using the Classic Search in Explorer

Added 4/11/02

If you prefer to use the classic search style in Explorer,

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
3. Add a String Key called Use Search Asst
4. Give it a value of no

Download reg file
No To All When Overwriting Files

Added 4/5/02

When overwriting files in the Windows Explorer, there is an option for Yes To All.
This would overwrite any files you would normally be prompted for.

To have No To All, simply hold down the Shift key while you click on the No option.
Re-Installing User Login Pictures

Added 4/5/02

Normally WindowsXP shows assigned pictures for each user on the system.
If you have deleted your user pictures, want to know the location, or need to reinstall them,
they are stored in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\Default Pictures
directory.

If you need to reinstall them, they can be expanded from the source CD. The actual files are:
airplane.bmp
astronaut.bmp
ball.bmp
butterfly.bmp
cat.bmp
fish.bmp
pink flower.bmp
guitar.bmp
snowflake.bmp
beach.bmp
car.bmp
chess.bmp
dirt bike.bmp
dog.bmp
drip.bmp
duck.bmp
frog.bmp
horses.bmp
kick.bmp
lift-off.bmp
palm tree.bmp
red flower.bmp
skater.bmp

WINIPCFG for XP

Added 4/1/02

If you like the graphic IP configuration program that comes with Windows98,
you can download a similar one for WindowsXP or Windows2000 from Microsoft at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/wntipcfg-o.asp

The actual file is at:
WntIpcfg_setup.exe
Search Companion Error

Added 4/1/02

When doing a file search, if you get the error A File That Is Required to Run Search Companion Cannot Be Found

1. Log on as an Administrator
2. Click Start
3. Select Run
4. Enter in the command - %systemroot%\inf
5. Right-click the Srchasst.inf file
6. Click Install

Installing the Backup Program on the Home Version

Added 4/1/02

By default, the NTBACKUP program is not installed on the home version.

You can find it on the CD in the \VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP directory

Since not all vendors include the actual source code for XP,
you can download a copy
Changing Drive Letters

Added 3/30/02

If you want to change the letters assigned to your fixed or removable drives:

1. Right Click on My Computer
2. Select Manage
3. Select Disk Management

For a Fixed Disk:

1. Select it
2. Right click
3. Select Change Drive Letter and Path
4. Click on the Edit button
5. Enter in the letter you want to use

For a Removable Disk:

1. In the lower, right hand panel, right click on the Disk or CD ROM #
2. Select Change Drive Letter and Path
3. Click on the Edit button
4. Enter in the letter you want to use

Note: This can only be done for drives that do not have the Operating System Installed or you are booting to.
Turn off the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer as the Default Image Viewer

Updated 3/29/02

You can also change the file associations for the specific file types you want.

1. Open the Windows Explorer
2. Go to Tools / Folder Options / File Types
3. Scroll down to the extension you want to change
4. Click on the Change button
5. Select the program you want to associate with that extension
6. Click on the OK button

Added 3/4/02

If the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is set as the default for many of your graphic file types,
you can remove it so other graphics programs can be used.

1. Run Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / SystemFileAssociations / image / ShellEx / ContextMenuHandlers
3. Delete the key ShellImagePreview

Download reg file
Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords

Added 3/23/02

Although you can log in locally without a password, by default, WindowsXP Pro does not allow network users to access the computer without a password. Typically you will receive an Unknown error 31 if this is the case.

To change this setting:

1. Run gpedit.msc
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options
3. Double click on Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only
4. Disable this option

Changing the Default DOS Window Properties

Added 3/22/02

If you want to change the default DOS windows properties like:

* Size
* Color
* Font
* Buffer Size
* Window / Full Screen

1. Open up a DOS window
2. Right click on the Title Bar
3. Select Defaults
4. Make any of the changes you like
5. All subsequent DOS windows will assume these defaults

Changing the Registered Owner

Added 3/20/02

1. Start Regedit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
3. From there you can edit the name in the Registered Owner key

Opening a Command Prompt to a Particular Directory from Explorer

Added 3/18/02

If you want to open a command prompt to a directory that is selected in the Explorer:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Directory \ shell
3. Create a new key called Command
4. Give it the value of the name you want to appear in the Explorer. Something like Open DOS Box
5. Under this create a new key called command
6. Give it a value of cmd.exe /k "cd %L"
7. Now when you are in the Explorer, right click on a folder, select Open DOS Box, and a command prompt will open to the selected directory.

Download reg file
Adding Time Servers

Added 3/18/02

With WindowsXP, you can double-click on the time in the System Tray and connect to Time Servers on the Internet to synchronize with.
To add to the list of available servers:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DateTime\Servers
3. Add new string keys named 2, 3, etc. with a value of the time server you want to use.

Creating a Boot Floppy

Added 3/14/02

To create a bootable floppy from within WindowsXP:

1. Insert a floppy into the A: drive
2. Open the Explorer
3. Right click on the A: Drive
4. Select Format
5. Check Create an MS-DOS startup disk
6. Click on the Start button
7. This will create a Millennium boot disk

Changing the Login Screen Saver

Added 3/8/02

If you want to change the screen saver that runs at the login prompt:

Start Regedit

1. Go to HK_USERS / .DEFAULT / Control Panel / Desktop
2. Double click on SCRNSAVE.EXE
3. Enter in the screen saver you want to use

Running NetMeeting

Added 3/8/02

To run NetMeeting:

1. Do a Start / Run
2. Enter conf
3. Answer the prompts along the way for name, e-mail etc.

Set the Online Registration as Being Completed

Added 3/4/02

You can set WindowsXP to assume the online registration has been completed.

1. Run Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion
3. Create a String Value called RegDone
4. Give it a value of 1

Download reg file
Decreasing Boot Time

Added 3/4/02

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis

1. Uncompress the file.
2. Run BOOTVIS.EXE
3. For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
4. This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
5. After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
6. Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
7. Then run Trace / Optimize System
8. Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
9. Note how much the time has decreased
10. Mine went from approximately 39 to 30 seconds.

Re-Enabling System Restore

Added 3/3/02

If you previously disabled system restore through the Group Policy Editor,
the option to start it again does not show in the System Properties.
You can re-enable it again by:

1. Run the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / System / System Restore
3. Set Turn off System Restore and Turn off Configuration to Disable
4. Right click on My Computer
5. Select Manage
6. Go to Services and Applications / Services
7. Scroll down to System Restore Service
8. Set it for Automatic
9. Click on the Start button to start the service
10. Close down this window
11. Go back to the Group Policy Editor and configure both to Not configured
12. Now when you right click on My Computer, there should be a tab for System Restore and you can configure how much space will be used.

Hide/Unhide Logon Names

Added 3/3/02

If you want to hide or unhide the names of users that are displayed on the initial logon screen:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
3. Add a DWORD with the name of the user account you want to hide
4. Make sure it has a value of 0
5. If there is an existing account, you can unhide it by giving it a value of 1

Reinstalling the TCP/IP Protocol

Added 3/2/02

If you've worked on previous versions of Windows,
there are times when you need to completely reinstall the TCP/IP protocol stack.
This is typically due to corrupted files.

To do this with XP,
you need to run a small script:

netsh int ip reset [ log_file_name ]

the log_file_name needs to be specified.

e.g.
netsh int ip reset ip_reset.txt
Renaming the Start Button

Added 2/25/02

To rename the start button, you will need a hex editor.
My preference is UltraEdit

1. Copy the \windows\explore.exe file to a new name (e.g. explorer_1.exe)
2. With the hex editor, open that file and go to offset 412b6
3. You will see the word start with blanks between each letter
4. Edit it be any 5 characters or less
5. Save the file
6. Boot to DOS
7. Copy the existing c:\windows\explorer.exe to explorer.org
8. Copy explorer_1.exe to explorer.exe
9. You will also need to replace the explorer.exe in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache file as well with the new one.

Note: If the partition is NTFS and you can't access the files from DOS:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon.
3. Change the value of Shell from Explorer.exe to explorer_1.exe

Rollback a Device Driver

Added 2/18/02

If you install a device drive that does not work correctly,
you can restore the previous one fairly easily.

1. Log in with an administrator account
2. Right click on My Computer
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Hardware tab
5. Click on the Device Manager button
6. Go to the device you want to reconfigure
7. Click on the Driver tab
8. Click on the Roll Back Drive button

Selecting What Details to Display in the Explorer

Added 2/3/02

To add or remove items to be displayed in the Explorer when using the Details View

1. Start the Explorer
2. Go to View / Choose Details
3. Right click on the columns by Name and check or uncheck any item you want displayed

Available options are:

* Owner
* Name
* Size
* Type
* Date Modified
* Status
* Attributes
* Author
* Title
* Subject
* Category
* Pages
* Comments
* Copyright
* Date Created
* Date Accessed
* Attributes
* Artist
* Album Title
* Year
* Track Number
* Genre
* Duration
* Bit Rate
* Protected
* Camera Model
* Date Picture Taken
* Dimensions
* Company
* Description
* File Version
* Product Name
* Product Version

Closing Multiple Taskbar Items

Submitted 2/3/02

If you hold down the Control Key when you click on the taskbar icons,
it selects multiple tasks. Then you can simply right-click on the selected items and choose close group.

This tip works with all windows, not just one applications. If you have the cal, ie, notepad and solitaire open, it will close them all, unlike the group similar items command that only lets you close all of one type (ex: all IE or all notepads).

Submitted by Terry Cadieux
Remembering Outlook / Outlook Express Password

Submitted 1/26/02

On systems, Outlook or Outlook Express will not remember the e-mail password,
which would then need to be entered in each time.

To solve the problem:

1. Open Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft
3. Right Click Protected Storage System Provider
4. Choose the Permissions option
5. Click the Advanced box near the bottom right hand corner. This should open another box, Towards the bottom of this box there should be two tick boxes, make sure that both of them are ticked. Click Apply, another box will open Click Yes, then Click OK and OK again.
6. Left Click the + next to Protected Storage System Provider and Delete any sub folder in this tree. (Right clicking and choose the delete option or press the delete key and choosing yes to delete)
7. Shutdown and Restart Computer.

Submitted by Naste
Turning Off the Firewall

Added 1/26/02

If you want to turn off the firewall for your computer:

1. Go to Start / Settings / Network Connections
2. Right click on the network connection you want to change
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Advanced tab
5. Uncheck the box in Internet Connection Firewall

Grouping Similar Taskbar Buttons

Added 1/26/02

When you open more than one document in the same program and then minimize each document,
rather that showing separate icons on the taskbar for each document, WindowsXP groups them under a single icon for that application.

If you want to group, or ungroup, similar taskbar buttons,

1. Right click on the Taskbar
2. Select Properties
3. Check or Uncheck Group similar taskbar buttons

Turning Off the Guest Account

Added 1/22/02

For security purposes, you might want to turn off the Guest account

1. Open up the Control Panel
2. Click on User Accounts
3. Click on Change an account
4. Click on the Guest account
5. Click Turn off the guest account

Original NT Style Logon Screen

Updated 1/19/02

If you want to have the original NT style windows logon screen with XP,
simply hold the Ctrl-Alt keys and press the delete key twice.

The following Update Submitted by:
Steven Pennypacker

To make a permanent change so the logon screen is always like the traditional NT4/2000 style:

1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Open up User Accounts
3. Click Change the way users log on and off
4. Uncheck Use the Welcome screen
5. Click on Apply Options

Turning Off the Built-In CD Burner

Added 1/15/02

If you want to turn off the ability to using the built-in CD burner software that comes with WindowsXP:

1. Open up the Explorer
2. Right click on the drive that is your CD burner
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Recording tab
5. Uncheck Enable CD recording on this drive

Hiding System Tray Icons

Added 1/10/02

With WindowsXP, you can manually select how you want individual icons in the System Tray to be displayed.

1. Right click on the Taskbar
2. Select Properties
3. Check Hide inactive icons
4. Click on the Customize button
5. This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to select one of three options for your applications:
Hide when inactive, Always hide, or always show
6. Highlight current or past applications and make any changes you like.
7. A small arrow will now appear in the System Tray that will allow you to show or hide these icons.

Faster Task Switching

Added 1/6/02

If you installed WindowsXP Power Tools from Microsoft, when you press Alt-Tab to switch between running applications,
you get a screen that shows a small graphic of the window that is of that application along with its icon.
This also takes a long time to display. (Or at least longer than I'm comfortable with)

You can speed this up and revert back to previous ways task switching is displayed.

To Turn This Off After Your Reboot:

1. Run MSCONFIG
2. Click on the Startup tab
3. Uncheck Taskswitch
4. Click on the OK button
5. If you want to keep working, click on Exit without Restart

To Turn This Off Immediately:

1. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete
2. Click on the Processes tab
3. Highlight TaskSwitch.exe
4. Click on the End Process tab
5. Click on the Yes button

WindowsXP Command Line Utilities

Added 1/5/02

While there are a lot of command line utilities in WindowsXP, here are some that I have been using lately.

bootcfg - Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings.

driverquery - Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties.

getmac - Returns the media access control (MAC) address and list of network protocols associated with each address for all network cards in each computer

gpresult - Displays Group Policy settings and Resultant Set of Policy (RSOP) for a user or a computer

netsh - You can use commands in the Netsh Interface IP context to configure the TCP/IP protocol

schtasks - Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time

systeminfo - Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system
Disabling Error Reporting

Added 12/5/01

By default, WindowsXP will request to report application errors to Microsoft.
To turn this off:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop
2. Select Properties / Advanced
3. Click on the Error Reporting tab
4. Check Disable error reporting

Adding a Title for the Command Prompt Title Bar

Added 11/27/01

If you create a batch file that might take a while to run,
you can add a title to the command prompt title bar it by simply adding the line:

title YOUR TEXT

where YOUR TEXT would be replaced by whatever text you want to show.
Increasing Graphics Performance

Added 11/27/01

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.
Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
5. To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance
6. My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

Creating an Automated Install of WindowsXP

Added 11/12/01

On the WindowsXP CP, in the SUPPORT\TOOLS directory,
there is a file called DEPLOY.CAB.

1. Extract the programs DEPLOY.CHM (help file) and SETUPMGR.EXE (main program)
2. Run SETUPMGR and answer the prompts.
3. This will create both a unattend.bat and unattend.txt file you can use for automated installs.
4. Note: The batch file might need some minor modification for file locations but it is fairly basic.

Creating a Shutdown/Reboot Icon

Added 11/11/01

WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.

To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:

1. Right click on an open area of the desktop
2. Select New / Shortcut
3. Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes
4. Press the Next button
5. For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.

For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00"

Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

Parameters

* -l - Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.
* -s - Shuts down the local computer.
* -r - Reboots after shutdown.
* -a - Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.
* -f - Forces running applications to close.
* -m [\\ComputerName] - Specifies the computer that you want to shut down.
* -t xx - Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds.
* -c "message" - Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks.

Command Line Help Reference

Added 11/11/01

To get a quick help for all the commands you can enter from WindowsXP,
simply create a shortcut:

hh.exe ms-its:C:\WINDOWS\Help\ntcmds.chm::/ntcmds.htm
Using the System File Checker

Added 11/11/01

You can run the System File Checker to verify protected system files.

Command line switches are:

sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert] [/purgecache] [/cachesize=x]

* /scannow - Scans all protected system files immediately.
* /scanonce - Scans all protected system files once.
* /scanboot - Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted.
* /revert - Returns the scan to its default operation.
* /purgecache - Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected system files immediately.
* /cachesize=x - Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache.

Disabling Balloon Tips

Added 11/9/01

To turn off balloon tips in applications that support XP Themes:

1.

Start Regedit
2.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
3.

Create a DWORD value of EnableBalloonTips
4.

Give it a value of 0

Download reg file
Speeding Up the Display of Start Menu Items

Added 11/8/01

An easy way to speed up the display of the Start Menu Items is to turn off the menu shadow.

1.

Right click on an open area of the Desktop
2.

Select Properties
3.

Click on the Appearance tab
4.

Click on the Effects button
5.

Uncheck Show shadows under menus

Installing the NetBEUI Protocol

Added 11/7/01

Microsoft no longer supports the NetBEUI protocol as part of WindowsXP.

You can add it as a installable protocol by going to the VALUEADD \ MSFT \ NET \ NETBEUI
directory on the CD ROM.

Note: %SYSTEMROOT% refers to the drive and directory where you installed WindowsXP.
Typically this is in the C:\WINDOWS directory

1. Copy the nbf.sys into the %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ directory
2. Copy netnbf.inf into the %SYSTEMROOT%\INF\ directory
3. Open the Network connection properties for your local area network and use "Install..." button to add NetBEUI protocol

I included a zipped file with the above files and a simple batch file to copy both to the appropriate directories

This is only if you absolutely need NetBEUI. It is not at all a necessary requirement for most networks.
Setting System Time Over the Internet

Added 11/5/01

You can set your system clock to a time server on the Internet.

1. Double-click the time on your taskbar
2. Click the Internet Time tab
3. Check Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server
4. Click on the Update Now button

Creating a Password Recovery Disk

Added 11/5/01

In case you forget your password, you can create a password recovery floppy disk beforehand to help you out of this problem.

1. Single-click Start menu
2. Go to the Control Panel / User Accounts
3. Click the User Account
4. On the left hand side, click on Prevent forgotten password
5. You will need to know your password to create the disk.
6. If you don't remember your password sometime in the future, click on the green arrow like normal at the login and you will be prompted to insert the password recover disk.

Changing the Default Search Settings

Added 11/5/01

By default, when you start a search,
you are prompted for what you want to search for.
(e.g. Pictures, Documents, Files, Computers)

To change the preferences, simply click on Change preferences

From here you can:

1. Turn off the animated screen character
2. Change files and folders search behavior (setting it to Advanced changes the default search screen to be for simply files)
3. Internet search settings
4. Turn off balloon tips

Opening an Explorer Window to the Directory You Want

Added 9/4/01

If you want to create a shortcut for the Explorer to a specific directory,
include the directory you want in the Target.

For example:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, d:\internet

would open the Explorer to the D:\INTERNET directory
Disabling Hibernation

Added 8/20/01

If you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't need to use it at all,
you can easily disable it.

1. Open up the Control Panel / Power Options icon
2. Click on the Hibernation icon
3. Uncheck Enable Hibernation

Locking the Workstation

Added 8/19/01

There are two ways you can lock the workstation.

1. With a Windows key + L
2. Create an shortcut rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

Changing the Picture Displayed for a User

Added 8/19/01

You can change the picture that gets displayed for a particular user

1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Select User Accounts
3. Click on the Account to change
4. Click on Change my picture
5. You can then browse to the picture you want to use

Displaying the QuickLaunch Toolbar

Added 8/16/01

By default, WindowsXP does not show the QuickLaunch toolbar.
To enable it again:

1. Right click on an open area of the toolbar
2. Select Toolbars
3. Select Quick Launch

Now you can add programs like with Win98
Increasing System Performance

Added 8/16/01

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
3. Set the value to be 1
4. Reboot the computer

Download reg file
Removing the MSN Messenger

Added 8/16/01

If you want to remove the MSN Messenger from always starting in the system tray, do

1. Start / Run
2. Then enter in the following string: RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

To remove it completely, see the section Adding / Removing Additional Programs

Remove the hide from the line:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Common Command Console Utilities

Added 8/16/01

WindowsXP comes with quite a few console utilities you can easily run from the command line:

Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
Disk Managment - diskmgmt.msc
Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
Disk Defrag - dfrg.msc
Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc
Group Policies - gpedit.msc
Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc
Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc
Resultant Set of Policies - rsop.msc
Local Security Settings - secpol.msc
Services - services.msc
Component Services - comexp.msc
Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks

Added 8/16/01

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks
3. Set the value to be 1
4. In the same section, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout to the number of milliseconds you want.

Download reg file
Changing the Internet Explorer Title

Added 8/16/01

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window Title
3. Enter what you want appear in the title bar

Changing Visual Effects

Added 8/16/01

To change visual effects such as fade menus, mouse shadow, visual styles on buttons, drop shadows for icons, slide open boxes and buttons etc.:

1. Right click on My Computer
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
5. From here you have a list of items you can select

Changing System Restore Settings

Added 8/16/01

By default, WindowsXP uses a large amount of hard drive space for storing system restore points.
If this is not necessary, you can change the settings.

1. Go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools
2. Run System Restore
3. For each drive or partition, you can click on the Setting button to change how much hard drive space is devoted to each one.
4. There is even the option to turn it off for all drives.

Configuring the Firewall

Added 8/16/01

WindowsXP has firewall capabilities built into the operating system.

1. For your network connection to the Internet, select Properties
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. Check the Internet Connection Firewall section
4. Click on the Settings button to change the settings

Changing Programs That Start Automatically

Added 8/16/01

WindowsXP has a similar program, MSCONFIG, that was available in Windows98.
This allows you to view and change what programs are automatically started each time you log in.

The new version also allows you to view and edit the boot.ini file (as well as check for errors and use several advanced switches)
Adding / Removing Additional Programs

Added 8/16/01

By default, WindowsXP does not display all the programs you can add or remove.
To show this list:

Edit the \Windows\Inf\sysoc.inf file

In the Components section, simply remove the word hide.
This will leave two commas together (like on the rest of the items).
Then you can go to the Control Panel / Add or Remove Programs / Add/Remove Windows Components and the new items will be displayed.

[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7
smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7


Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
Displaying and Configuring the Classic Start Menu

Added 8/16/01

If you prefer the original Start Menu, you can easily switch it back.

1. Right click on the Taksbar
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Start Menu tab
4. Select Classic Start Menu
5. If you click on the Customize button you can choose to display Administrative Tools, Favorites, Run, and expanding many of the sub-menus like the Control Panel.

Increasing File System Caching

Added 8/16/01

To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
3. Edit the key IoPageLockLimit

4096 - 32megs of memory or less
8192 - 32+ megs of memory
16384 - 64+ megs of memory
32768 - 128+ megs of memory
65536 - 256+ megs of memory
Enabling NumLock on by Default

Added 8/16/01

To have numlock turned on for each user:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicators
3. Change the value from 0 to 2
4. Turn Numlock on manually
5. Log off and back on again.
6. For all users, make the same change to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicators

Download reg file

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/windowsxp_tips.htm#fast_dos_print

How to Find the Most Energy-Efficient Laptop Available

Look for PCs wearing the EPA's new Energy Star 4 label.
Melissa J. Perenson, PC World
Friday, July 20, 2007 5:00 PM PDT

The Environmental Protection Agency today introduced its first complete refresh of its Energy Star specification for computers. The EPA estimates that over the next five years, the updated Energy Star computer spec will save American businesses and consumers $1.8 billion in energy costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions of 2.7 million cars.

The computer Energy Star spec, designed to help save the environment and save consumers money, was first introduced in 1992. Now in its fourth iteration, the spec has broadened its scope to encompass a wider breadth of computer usage. The EPA says that only the most energy-efficient computing products will qualify for the Energy Star label.
Rethinking Power Savings

The new spec has been in the works for two years. Energy Star has evolved into an international platform; the European Union uses it, as does Canada and many Asian countries.

"We've done a major overhaul of the spec. All of our international partners were talking more about energy efficiency," says Katharine Kaplan, product development manager for energy star IT and consumer electronics. "In the past we focused on standby and power management. But we found that power management was being disabled [by users]. So we focused in on a couple of different opportunities for power savings." Power management puts your PC into a low-power sleep mode.

"Computers spend the majority of their time in idle mode, and we hadn't paid any attention to the idle mode before this. The new requirements focus in on idle mode--when the computer is on and in use, but it's not actively crunching data--as well as sleep mode, and standby mode (when the computer is off, but still plugged in)," says Kaplan. "Before, you had to power down to a maximum wattage when not in use [to meet Energy Star guidelines]. Now, we've set targets and maximums for use in different operating modes." Computer makers have to meet these efficiency targets to get the Energy Star logo.

One of the big changes in the requirements of Energy Star 4: Newly qualified computers must include a more energy-efficient power supply.

"By including a requirement for 80 percent efficient power supplies in our spec, we're hoping to make 80 percent efficient the standard," says Kaplan, adding that "There is some added cost to make that power supply more efficient." The EPA got the idea to include this requirement from the existing 80 Plus initiative. "What we've tried to do is emphasize the value in efficiency."
Buying Energy Star Today

If you want to make sure you're buying a product that meets the latest Energy Star specs, look for the Energy Star logo. The spec now requires companies to display the logo on the product, and on packaging and related materials, such as product literature (previously, such display was optional).

At launch, 122 desktop and notebook PCs met the Energy Star 4.0 qualification. Additional products are undergoing testing now; visit the qualified product list for the latest information.

Interestingly, the vast majority--102--of those 122 qualified products are notebooks, observes Kaplan. Big-name notebook makers with models approved for the Energy Star include Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard. Dell, Gateway, and HP also have desktop models.

The EPA expects 25 percent of computer products, or less, to qualify for Energy Star under the 4.0 spec--down from the current 98 percent of products that qualify. "We expect that rate to jump up quickly, though, because there's so much innovation in this space, and companies are so responsive [to Energy Star]," says Kaplan.

Computer manufacturers have good reason to be paying attention to Energy Star. "Manufacturers are telling us that customers are increasingly asking for energy-efficient products. Many large companies and institutional purchases now require Energy Star," Kaplan notes. "And the European Union issued a requirement in July that government purchases be Energy Star-compliant."
Future of Energy Star

The latest Energy Star spec is being released in two phases. Today marked the first phase, also referred to as tier one; and development is already under way on tier two.

In the first phase, says Kaplan, the EPA concentrated on idle mode. Now the agency is turning its attention to PCs in what it calls active mode, which is when the PC is actively processing data.

One of the obstacles has been determining how to develop a test for active mode. However, by the time the second phase of Energy Star 4.0 comes into effect in 2009, that should no longer be a roadblock.

"We're working with the industry to develop a benchmark--a way of exercising your computer in a way that captures the average use patterns and the average experience of an office user, for example," says Kaplan. "This forthcoming benchmark will help us look at all modes of [computer] operations. This work is being done by industry groups Ecma International and BAPCo, and we're actively participating in the process. We hope to make use of that benchmark assessment tool in our tier two Energy Star 4.0 specification in 2009."

Also on the table for tier two: Expanding the spec to include game consoles. The EPA approached game console makers in the first phase of the specification, but didn't hear much interest from manufacturers. And, admits Kaplan, "Game consoles are not likely going to be able to meet this spec. But now the game console makers are talking with us, and they're working with us now and looking for efficiency opportunities."